"Oh my goodness, Sister Ina! You honestly have no idea how busy this morning was. I'm not even boasting, but Grandpa and I were practically working ourselves to the bone. If we hadn't run out of stock in the middle of the night, we would have made even more."
Oleg hung his white apron behind the front door, revealing his short sleeves and well-built muscles beneath. A trace of flour still dusted his face, though it couldn't hide his smug smile.
"It smells so good out here in the yard. Did you use Spirit Herb? I thought you were saving that for special occasions only. Oh, by the way, how is that little girl doing?"
"You should go wash your face first, unless you want her to think you're some kind of flour monster. Where are my pastries? That little girl and I haven't eaten a thing yet."
Out in the courtyard, Ina was using a washbasin to clean Theresia's coat.
It was hard to imagine what this originally white coat had been through to end up looking like this.
As a tailor, Ina was acutely sensitive to the feel of various fabrics. As she rubbed the garment, she could feel the texture of the material in her hands.
It was a rare cotton-linen blend, combining the softness and comfort of cotton with the durability and breathability of linen. Making a coat like this not only required more time and cost, but it also demanded exceptionally high craftsmanship.
Ina had once made a similar garment for a noble, and she had specially kept the leftover scraps to make herself a few face-wash cloths! Thinking of this, she couldn't help but smile.
And looking at the sunflower pattern on the coat—she had heard that nobles embroidered their family crests onto their clothing. It seemed this Little Theresia was undoubtedly of noble birth.
"Huh? How come there's no hot water in the house? I remember setting out a good batch yesterday."
Oleg intended to give his face a thorough wash with hot water. Looking around, he spotted a large tub filled with plenty of hot water, complete with floating Spirit Herb petals.
"Hey, there's actually a huge tub of water right here! And it even has flower petals floating in it. I'll scoop out a basin to wash my face. Sister Ina shouldn't mind, right?"
The Spirit Herb petals emitted a lingering fragrance. After washing, Oleg felt as though his face had taken on a refreshing scent.
However, he seemed completely unaware of the young girl standing right behind him, staring at him with a rather complicated expression as the comb slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground.
Originally, Theresia had just finished bathing and was standing before the mirror, planning to carefully brush out her gray hair and admire her own lovely reflection.
Just then, a man covered head to toe in flour had suddenly burst in.
Even more unexpectedly, without a word of explanation, the guy had actually... actually gone straight for her bathwater to wash his face!
Theresia's cheeks instantly flushed crimson. Was this fellow some kind of pervert?
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Oleg."
Having finished the laundry, Ina pushed open the door and walked inside.
"I used up all the hot water."
"What? There's no hot water left? Then what kind of water did I just use?"
Oleg muttered in confusion, lifting his head to look at Ina as if he had only just noticed someone standing behind him.
His gaze was instantly captured. The girl before him was as beautiful and breathtaking as a Goddess descending to the mortal realm.
Theresia had just finished her bath, and a few crystal-clear droplets of water still clung to the tips of her damp hair, shining like morning dew rolling off a lotus leaf. Her skin, flushed from the steam, appeared even more tender and delicate, like mutton-fat jade—smooth, soft, and radiating a healthy, charming glow.
Her neat, slightly wavy short hair outlined playful and cute lines in the sunlight, with a few strands falling carelessly across her forehead, adding a touch of lazy beauty to her appearance.
Oleg's face turned instantly crimson, like a ripe apple, revealing the unique shyness and timidity of a young boy.
At the sight of this, Theresia quickly scampered barefoot behind Ina, poking out only her small head as she looked at Oleg with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
Being stared at so blatantly by a strange man made Theresia feel thoroughly uncomfortable, and a little creeped out.
Besides, this jerk had actually used her bathwater to wash his face—he was an absolute super-pervert!
"This is the girl from yesterday. Her name is Theresia. Oleg, you didn't use Little Theresia's bathwater... did you?"
A hint of disgust flickered across Ina's expression.
"No, I... listen to me, okay? Little Theresia, is it? This was totally an accident! Your big brother isn't that kind of pervert, Sister Ina! Hurry up and help me explain, don't let her first impression of me be that of a pervert."
Oleg stammered incoherently, his face flushed red as he waved his hands and shouted anxiously.
"Right, right, right! Little Theresia must be hungry, right? Big Brother brought back some delicious pastries, all homemade, clean and hygienic. Go on... go eat!"
Who was Little Theresia? Her name was Theresia, thank you very much! He was just a pervert who had washed his face in her bathwater, so why was he acting so familiar?
Hiding behind Ina, Theresia's eyes were filled with vigilance.
Flustered, Oleg rushed to grab some pastries and handed them to Theresia.
"Um, Little Theresia, don't get the wrong idea. I really didn't mean to do that. These are pastries I specially brought for you, they're really good."
Theresia looked at Oleg, then down at the pastries in his hand, and cautiously took them.
She took a bite, and her eyes instantly lit up.
This thing was so unusual! The texture was surprisingly soft and chewy, yet sweet and delicious, very much like sticky rice cake!
Perhaps because she had spent many consecutive days eating wild berries in the forest, she hadn't tasted such sweetness in a long time.
Before long, that small pastry was devoured entirely by Theresia in a whirlwind.
Seeing that Little Theresia liked them so much, the rock finally dropped from Oleg's chest.
He immediately placed an entire large bag of pastries onto the table and said generously,
"Don't be shy, eat as much as you want! There's plenty more here. If it's not enough, Grandpa and I will make some more this afternoon."
Hearing this, Theresia felt slightly mollified.
Well, at least you know how to act! I'll forgive you for now.
With that, she calmly seated herself in the chair, grabbed the pastries tightly with both hands, and began to devour them frantically, as if she wanted to make up for all the days of accumulated hunger in one go.
Wait... would this make her seem too unrefined? After all, she was in someone else's home.
Hmph! Whatever! Consider it payment for using her bathwater!